List the Power of Your Brand

Have you ever wondered why people seem to love lists? There are many reasons for this phenomenon. The first is a purely physiological one: The left side of the human brain processes information in a linear, sequential way.

Consequently, we are programmed to respond to sequences, just as we are programmed to blink our eyes. But lists are also important psychologically, because they provide order in a world of language chaos. With the plethora of information available from every conceivable medium today, listing has become the most important way to provide ordered information to people with data overload.

Lists also cut to the chase. Want to see who’s rich? Read Forbes magazine’s “100 Richest Americans.” Want to check out who’s great-looking? See People magazine’s annual “50 Most Beautiful People.” These lists are engrained in the brands of the publications they represent.

Independent insurance agents can use this proclivity to create a competitive advantage. Your market­ing strategy should include several value-laden information lists, written by you, for your clients and potential clients. These pieces can showcase your expertise, position you as a thought leader in your business, provide immediate, practical help to your clients and show that you care about their welfare. Where else can you get such a great return from such an inexpensive investment?

You should use any form of listing you can think of—templates, checklists, tip sheets—to give your clients information that they need to know and will appreciate receiving. And as management consul­tant Alan Weiss notes, since your name is your brand, your lists should include your name and agency name to build brand credibility. In other words, don’t title your list “Ten Tips for Buying Car Insurance.” Use “Joan Freedman’s 10 Tips for Buying Car Insurance” instead. This guarantees that the client associ­ates the value with the person who gave it to him.

What can you use as inspiration to create a list? Anything and everything that provides value to your current and potential clients. Since you also want to reinforce your method of doing business, why not start with “Larry Jones’ 10 Bene. ts of Working with an Independent Insurance Agent”? You could cite the trusting relationship, the personalized service, the rapid response questions and concerns, custom­ized policies and anything else you can think of to provide information and value.

Or how about “Janet Gemming’s 10 Ways to Lower Home Insurance Costs”? Your clients will love you for trying to save them money in a recession, and potential clients will be impressed by your caring attitude. You can discuss the pros and cons of raising the deductible, the importance of maintaining a good credit history, the benefit of ramping-up home security and the need for reviewing insurance poli­cies after large purchases.

These lists can be used in many ways. Copy them to use as handouts, or mail them to current clients with a “just-thought-this-might-be-helpful” note. You can publish them on your website under a “Free Resources” tab, and keep updating them so that potential buyers go to your website to read the refreshed content. You can use them as flyers, insert them into newspapers or mail them to potential buyers. You can publish them in online newsletters or post the content in your agency’s social media outlets. You can turn the lists into podcasts or YouTube videos to advertise your expertise in your busi­ness or incorporate the information into your blog.

And every time you use them, you’re building the list of customers who will look to your agency’s brand first for their insurance needs.

Dr. Sally Wright is president of Alliance Consulting Group.

Renters, Boaters and Lists

Most renters don’t understand why they should purchase renter’s insurance—until a fire or flood destroys their belongings and then they learn that they could have been amply reimbursed if they had only paid a modest fee for a renter’s policy.

Draw up a list of questions that renters can use to determine their level of need, such as: “Do you have expensive stereo equipment?” “Do you have antique furniture that you know is valuable?” “Would you have trouble replacing all of your books if you lost them?” Such questions can lead a potential buyer to the realiza­tion that he or she indeed has items that would be dif. cult to replace without insurance.

Lists will also help you build you brand in order to gain new clients. An article entitled “Does Your Boat­ing Insurance Protect You in Case of Flooding? Four Items to Look for in Your Current Boat Insurance” will be read by any boat owner who is lov­ingly applying wax to the freeboards of his own personal Queen Mary. Take the time to inform consumers on exactly what coverage they are receiving—and what they might be missing. Let potential buyers know the possible pitfalls of working with agents who put the acquisition of the sale above the needs of the client. You’ll be protecting your own clients and attracting new ones at the same time.

—S.W.